Clash of Civilizations or Meeting of the Minds?

… the most important lesson to take away from this experience was that the coming together of human intellect is an experience unlike any other ...
     —Zeeshan Suhail

The title of this article references a project undertaken by a professor at Queens College-CUNY, my alma mater. I was reminded of the project name when I returned from the Second Annual Forum of the UN's Alliance of Civilizations as an energized and revitalized global citizen. What a gathering! The top intellectuals and leaders in the field of intercultural and interfaith dialogue congregated to discuss such crucial and timely issues. Their commitment and presence gave me renewed hope for the youth leaders who are striving to realize their dream of a better tomorrow.

Photos: Zeeshan Suhail

Two things stood out for me in the Forum. One was the pre-Forum youth event, and the other was the Marketplace of Ideas.

The pre-Forum youth event was an initiative of the Alliance of Civilizations Secretariat, seeking to bring together youth leaders from all regions of the world to discuss intercultural issues that impacted them. This included deliberations on the Youth Solidarity Fund, which can provide up to $20,000 for projects related to intercultural and interreligious dialogue, as well as debate on a Youth Advisory Committee to be a partner for the Secretariat in its work on youth issues. It was so heartening and encouraging to see youth being given a broad platform on which to not only showcase their work, but to make their voices heard. The pre-Forum youth event ended with a series of agreed-upon recommendations that were then presented in the opening plenary of the Forum.

The Marketplace of Ideas was a novel concept whose goal was to showcase the work of various social entrepreneurs who were working on projects related to intercultural dialogue. Prior to the start of the session, the former President of Costa Rica took a few moments to remind the audience and the participants in the marketplace, that emphasis should be placed on the "scaling-up" of the endeavors. I couldn't have agreed more. Not only is it crucial that these projects are established, but that they be supported adequately so that even larger groups of people can take advantage of their services. The panelists in the marketplace were NGO staffers, media specialists and community organizers. The diversity of people—as well as ideas—was remarkable.

• Webitorial: World Day for Cultural Diversity

In sum, I walked away with many ideas of my own, enthusiastic about taking action and seeing my dreams become a reality, but the most important lesson to take away from this experience was that the coming together of human intellect is an experience unlike any other. One of my colleagues at the Forum, Sara Reef of Intersections International, wisely remarked: "By speaking to someone from a different culture, you learn about their country and customs. Any preconceived notion you have fades away. This should be the model we use to promote cross cultural dialogue. We should continue to bring youth—tomorrow's future leaders—together to talk and to learn. This is one of the best investments we can make in our future."

I could not have agreed more.

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